Corner Store
by Ekaterine
Summary: <html><head></head>I first met him in the corner store. The first I thing noticed was his hair; it was too perfect- a wig. The second thing I noticed was his smile. He was wearing dentures, in other words, fake teeth. The third I thing I noticed were his eyes.</html>
1. Corner Store

Corner store

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid**

_I first met him in the corner store. The first I thing noticed was his hair; it was too perfect- a wig. The second thing I noticed was his smile. He was wearing dentures, in other words, fake teeth. The third I thing I noticed were his eyes. They were a bright blue- a beautiful blue._

I breathe into my hands, rubbing them together for warmth. _Just a few more steps_… I tell myself.

Everyday I would visit, because of _him_.

_I scan the candy aisle for something sweet._

"_Hmmm… What should I pick…?" I mutter to myself. My finger floats above each piece of candy. I want chocolate._

"_The Moeji chocolate is pretty good." I hear a voice behind me._

"_Hm? Oh does it really?" I spin around and see a boy behind me. _

"_Yeah!" He grins at me. I instantly knew that there was something off about him._

"_Oh well, I guess I'll get the Moeji chocolate then." I smile at him._

The leaves crunch under my feet as I walk closer.

"_That'll be a dollar then!" He says enthusiastically._

"_Oh! You work here?" I ask, surprised._

"_Yup!" He grins at me again. I notice that his teeth are white, too white. They're also too straight. Fake. They're fake teeth. Dentures._

"_That'll be a dollar for the chocolate miss!" I dig into my wallet for a dollar._

"… _I'm guessing you don't have a dollar?" I laugh slightly._

"_I have twenty dollars. Mind breaking it for me?" I ask while smiling._

"_Here, just take it. It's on me!" He slides the bar back over the counter. _

"_Oh! Thank you…" I read his nametag. "Len."_

"_Haha, no problem." We stand there for a few minutes._

"Hi Len…" I whisper.

_My eyes start wandering. I eventually notice his hair. It's so… Polished. Neat. Not one strand out of place._

"_Ah! I see you've spot my roof!" He laughs. I stare at him curiously._

"_Huh?" I dumbly ask._

"_My wig." He explains. I make a small 'o' and nod._

"_Had cancer. Went through chemo. Said my hair would grow back fine, but it came back in patches and clumps. So I decided to shave it all off and get myself a roof." He grins again._

"_That's horrible!" I blurt out. "I'm sorry!" _

"_Haha, no problem! Most people are." I notice a twinge of sadness in his eyes._

_The silence between us is awkward until Len broke it._

"_So… What's your name?" He asks. _

"_Oh, my name is…"_

"I'm back again. Remember me? Rin…"

"_Rin huh? You have a pretty name…" I notice a small blush has appeared onto his face. _

"_T-thanks." I feel my heart beat increase._

"_Uhh… My shift ends in a few minutes…" He hesitates. "Wanna hang out?"_

"_Uh, yeah! That sounds great!" I nod eagerly._

I kneel down. "How are you?" I whisper.

"_Great! Just let me close up the store…" He leaves off. "Wait for me outside."_

_I obey and wait outside for him._

"I-I miss you." I feel my throat tighten.

"_Sorry for making you wait!" _

"_It's okay! I didn't wait that long." I laugh lightly. His face flushes red. _

"_Hey, you're not wearing your… roof." I point out._

"_Boss makes me wear it. To be honest, it's really uncomfortable. I brought a hat, so don't worry about it." He shows me a black baseball cap._

"_Oh…" I leave off._

"_Haha, yeah…" He laughs nervously. _

"_So… Where do you want to go…?" I question. He stays silent for a minute._

"… _I haven't gotten that far yet… Haha… Hah. Erm, where do you want to go?" He asks. _

_It's my turn to stay silent. "How about… We go to the park?" I suggest._

"_Sure. Sounds great!" He nods._

"I went to the park today. They're destroying it for new buildings… I knew how much you liked that park, so I tried stopping them, but… But I couldn't." A tear slides down my face.

_We've arrived at the park and sit down on one of the, many, benches. _

"_So… Um…" Len starts off._

"_Hm… I…" I begin. _

_We both look at each other and laugh out loud._

"_The weather's pretty nice today, huh?" _

"_Yeah… it is." My eyes scan the park._

"_Hey Rin… Let's hang out tomorrow too."_

"_Okay."_

"Ah! Sorry Len." I quickly wipe the tear away. "I got you something."

I shift through my purse.

"Here it is! It's your favorite, Moeji. Remember? I think they're going to stop making these those… Sorry about that Len." I sniff again.

"I also got you some flowers… They're red Zinnias. I thought you would like them."

"_Hey Rin!" He notices my upset expression. "What's with the long face?"_

"_Ugh…" I groan. "I failed my math test today."_

"_Oh. So that's it."_

"_Oh? What do you mean by that? It was a big math test! And I got such a horrible grade on it!" I complain._

"_What did you get?" He asks cautiously._

"_A B minus. Can you believe it?" He looks at me strangely before laughing loudly._

"_Wah? What's so funny?" I huff angrily._

"_Come on Rin! A B minus isn't that bad. You'll survive!" I punch him playfully. _

"_Shut up Len."_

"Hey, Len. I got a B minus on a math test today… I blame you. I kept thinking about you during the test… With you occupying my mind, I couldn't concentrate at all!" I laugh lightly.

"_Hey Rin… I'm really tired… Would you mind if I sleep for a little while?"_

"_Take as long as you need…" He rests his head on my shoulder._

"_Thank you… for everything…" I feel a tear slide down my face._

"_No problem… Len."_

"Good night Len." More tears start falling. With shaking hands, I lay the bouquet of flowers and bar of chocolate on his grave.

"I, I'll s-see you tomorrow L-len." With that, I run off.

'_Bye Rin… See you tomorrow.'_

Behind a tree stood the cemetery's care keeper.

"Quite a faithful young'un…" He chuckles quietly to himself. He picks up the bouquet and bar of chocolate.

"I'm going to take these and put them somewhere safe." He says to the grave in front of him.

_**Len Kagamine**_

_**1990 – 2011**_

**End**

**If you didn't understand what was going on, here's the deal:**

**Len had cancer. Went through chemotherapy but still died a few years later.**

**The italics are events from the past. The regular typing is present day.**


	2. A Ghost's Memories

Corner Store – A Ghost's Memories

**Len's point of view this time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid**

_I watch her enter the store. Her blond, seemingly soft, hair held back by a white ribbon. I feel my heart beat increase._

I wait for her everyday.

_I follow her to the candy aisle. I shyly stand there, hoping that she'd notice me._

"_Hmmm… What should I pick…?" I hear her mutter. Now's my chance!_

"_The Moeji chocolate is pretty good." I offer. My voice slightly wavers; I hope she doesn't notice._

"_Hm? Oh does it really?" She spins around to face me. Her eyes are a clear and innocent blue._

"_Yeah!" I grin widely. Maybe I overdid it though…_

"_Oh well, I guess I'll get the Moeji chocolate then." She smiles a pretty smile. I couldn't help but smile back. _

I listen to her footsteps. Just ten more steps…

"_That'll be a dollar then!" I say enthusiastically. _

"_Oh! You work here?" She asks, surprised._

"_Yup!" I grin again. My heart falters for a moment._

"_That'll be a dollar for the chocolate miss!" I continue smiling at her. She rummages through her purse._

"… _I'm guessing you don't have a dollar?" I laugh a little on the inside._

"_I have twenty dollars. Mind breaking it for me?" She asks while smiling._

"_Here, just take it. It's on me!" I slide the bar towards her._

"_Oh! Thank you…" She pauses. "Len."_

"_Haha, no problem." We stand there for a few minutes._

"Hi Rin…" I smile sadly. "You're back."

_I see her eyes wander upward. I grew conscious of my wig._

_"Ah! I see you've spot my roof!" I try joking._

_"Huh?" She stares at me with a dumbstruck expression._

_"My wig." I explain. She nods, finally understanding._

_"Had cancer. Went through chemo. Said my hair would grow back fine, but it came back in patches and clumps. So I decided to shave it all off and get myself a roof." I grin, but my heart falters again._

_"That's horrible!" She blurts out. "I'm sorry!"_

_"Haha, no problem! Most people are." I say, trying to laugh it off._

_The silence between us is awkward until I decide to break it._

_"So… What's your name?" I ask._

_"Oh, my name is…"_

"Yeah, of course I remember… How could I ever forget about you…?"

"_Rin huh? You have a pretty name…" My cheeks heat up as I compliment her; I notice Rin is blushing too._

_"T-thanks." I smile faintly._

_._

_"Uhh… My shift ends in a few minutes…" I hesitate. "Wanna hang out?"_

_"Uh, yeah! That sounds great!" My heartbeat increases tenfold._

"I'm fine. How are _you_ Rin?

_"Great! Just let me close up the store…" I say. "Wait for me outside."_

_Rin nods before heading outside._

"I miss you too Rin. I wish…" I hesitate. "I wish you could see how much I miss you."

_Before heading out to meet Rin, I stand in front of one of the store's mirror. I look at my wig and carefully pluck it off my head. I set it down on a table besides the mirror._

_I look at my baldhead. No matter how many times I look into the mirror, I can't help but feel so… disappointed._

_"Sorry for making you wait!" I gasp._

_"It's okay! I didn't wait that long." She laughs a bell-like laugh. I feel my face heat up once more._

_"Hey, you're not wearing your… roof." She points out. I shift, feeling slightly uncomfortable._

_"Boss makes me wear it. To be honest, it's really uncomfortable. I brought a hat, so don't worry about it." I show her the cap before slipping it on._

_"Oh…" She leaves off._

_"Haha, yeah…" I laugh nervously._

_"So… Where do you want to go…?" I look up at the sky. It's a mix of oranges and yellows._

_"…__I haven't gotten that far yet… Haha… Hah. Erm, where do you want to go?" I ask, while nervously rubbing the back of my neck._

_She's silent. "How about… We go to the park?" She suggests._

_"Sure. Sounds great!" I nod eagerly._

"Don't cry Rin… I know you tried your best." I try reaching out for her. I fail to do so.

_We've arrived at the park and sit down on one of the, many, benches._

_"So… Um…" I start._

_"Hm… I…" She begins._

_We both look at each other and laugh out loud._

_"The weather's pretty nice today, huh?" _

_"Yeah… it is."_

_"Hey Rin… Let's hang out tomorrow too." _

_"Okay." Len you are one lucky bastard._

I watch her hold the two items tightly, as if her life depended on it.

_"Hey Rin!" I notice her upset expression. "What's with the long face?"_

_"Ugh…" She groans. "I failed my math test today."_

_"Oh. So that's it." I wave it off._

_"Oh? What do you mean by that? It was a big math test! And I got such a horrible grade on it!" She complains._

_"What did you get?" Must have been a pretty bad grade._

_"A B minus. Can you believe it?" I laugh. Was that all?_

_"Wah? What's so funny?" She huffs angrily._

_"Come on Rin! A B minus isn't that bad. You'll survive!" She punches my arm playfully._

_"Shut up Len." Oh, owww. I snicker despite her attempts._

"Silly Rin… I don't want you to think about me. Don't you see how much it hurts you?"

_An immense pain fills my chest. I feel as if I'm suffocating. The world is blurring, images are colliding, and colors are starting to fade. Memories invade my mind._

"_**Hey Len! Watch this!" Rin twirls around in her pearl white dress.**_

"_**You look beautiful…" I feel shy, as if this were my first time meeting her.**_

"_**Come here silly! I want to dance!" I glance at her, surprised.**_

"_**But I don't know how to dance!"**_

"_**Neither do I! But I'm sure we can manage." She grins widely. I can't help but give in.**_

_**Together we dance, quite clumsily, in the moonlight.**_

_Another._

"_Rin! What's wrong?" I panic as I see tears cascade down her face._

"_I-" Sniff. "I-" Sniff. "The heel of my shoe broke!"_

"… _That's it?" Déjà vu moment much?_

"_Yes!" She huffs. _

"_Rin, it's just a shoe…" I try calming her._

"_These shoes are from overseas!" She snaps. _

_I hold my hands up in defense. Note to self: Never underestimate a girl and her pair of shoes._

_And another._

"_**Make a wish Len." Eighteen burning candles illuminate Rin's face.**_

"_**Gosh Rin, you didn't really have to get me a cake." I chuckle. She pouts.**_

"_**Oh be quiet you." I chuckle again.**_

"_**Alright, alright. If it'll make the princess happy, then I shall do it." **_

"_**Well hurry up dear knight." I smirk inwardly.**_

_**I close my eyes, thinking of the many things I could wish for.**_

_**Like, my hair growing back, my teeth to come back, or for my sister who's dead.**_

_**But as I open one eye, Rin's smiling face fills my vision. I know my wish.**_

_**I wish that Rin would smile forever. **_

_All of these memories… Why am I remembering them now? Maybe… Maybe it's time to say goodbye._

_"Hey Rin… I'm really tired… Would you mind if I sleep for a little while?"_

_"Take as long as you need…" I rest my head on her shoulder. My breathing starts slowing._

_"Thank you… for everything…" Thank you for loving me Rin. Thank you for giving me light. I'm really grateful._

_"No problem… Len." Soon, my world turns black. But I'm not scared this time._

"Bye Rin… See you tomorrow." I whisper.

From the corner of my eye, I see the cemetery's care keeper. He's a good man.

"Quite a faithful young'un…" He chuckles quietly to himself. I watch him pick up the bouquet and bar of chocolate.

"I'm going to take these and put them somewhere safe." I nod. I trust him.

I look back at my grave.

_**Len Kagamine**_

_**1990 – 2011**_

"Len! It's time to go home." I laugh softly.

"Coming Lenka." I scoop the little girl up into my arms.

"Hey big brother, I like that girl. Is she coming back tomorrow too?"

"Of course!" She giggles before asking another question.

"Don't you miss her?" She asks curiously.

"Of course." I answer softly.

"Then why don't you ask her to come visit?" I shake my head at her.

"I don't want to see her on _this_ side for a long, long time."

From far away, the cemetery's care keeper tucks the bouquet and chocolate bar away into a special safe. Amongst the many items inside, are two engagement rings.

**And that is the end of the Corner Store. Sorry if the second chapter copies a bit of the first chapter. I tried making as many changes as I could without changing the whole thing.**

**The bolded italics in the italics are flashbacks in flashbacks. Yes, confusing I know… But I hope you get it.**

**And yes Len still had cancer. It came back even though he went through chemotherapy. **

**I guess that the message here is that, you can be loved no matter what.**


End file.
